It Hungers
by The Samurai Prince
Summary: Wawanakwa Island. Strange occurrences happen at this place. For Cody, Gwen, and the rest of the 22 contestants, along with the crew of the reality show, Total Drama, they'll soon know why...it will not stop until it's satisfied. (Cody/Gwen pairing, along with other pairings as well. Rating might go up.) Cover by qMargot on DA and commissioned by CMR Rosa!
1. Preparations

**Okay, so...yeah, here's a new story and concept for ya. ...Um, I'm sorry** **about the "Thin" project everyone, but it's just...well, my drive for that is long gone. :( But hey, I got me a new idea to write, all the while keeping the same draft, but with added changes! :D**

 **Also, it's based on something that I think would be obvious by now from the title! XD But yeah, maybe you can humor me and tell me what you think this story is based on? X) Oh, by the way, the pairing will still be Cody and Gwen, along with other side pairings available! ;)**

 **Alrighty! Got nothing to say, except enjoy this new version of my Total Drama story! :D**

 **Disclaimer: Total Drama is owned by Teletoon and Fresh TV Inc. I'm doing this out of fun and creativity. ;)**

* * *

 **[EDIT: 9/26/2018]**

* * *

 _ **In the fifteenth century, when the Huron people migrated to the north shores of what would be Lake Ontario, they sailed and explored the islands in the Lake to see if they could settle on these dots of land.**_

 _ **The islands that the Huron people landed offered wildlife, herbs, and other natural resources. They resided there for a time...**_

 _ **There was one large island, though, that seven Huron scouts went to that year, in 1436, off the shores of Lake Ontario. They stayed there for three days in the Summer season...**_

 _ **But something happened.**_

 _ **Around noon when the third day came, only one of them came back...**_

 _ **A frightful look on his face said it all. Something had happened to the scouts. They questioned him. He told them that a monster resided there. Cautious, they sent a search party to find where the others were.**_

 _ **When they came back, they found no one on the island. They accused the man of killing them.**_

 _ **He proclaimed his innocence. But they didn't listen. He was executed.**_

 _ **None of the Huron people ever step foot on the island again, so as to respect their fallen brethren's deaths.**_

 _ **Incidents like this never occurred again...until thirty years later.**_

 ** _It was then at the course of those thirty years, things started happening on that island during the Summer._**

 ** _One-hundred eighty years later after the incident._** _ **The year was 1616...and the French have already discovered Lake Ontario.**_

 _ **One day in the Summer season of that year, a group of French travelers explored that same island to see if they could settle there...**_

 _ **When they haven't reported back to their post, they grew worried. They soon sent out a search party over at the island...**_

 _ **...Only to find that one of the travelers was nearly losing his mind when they got there.**_

 _ **They suspected something but didn't know what. They tried to find the other soldiers, but couldn't find them at all either. They soon came to the conclusion that the lone traveler must have killed them for unknown reasons. He was jailed, tried, and executed.**_

 _ **The island never had any more incidents after that...until thirty years later.**_

 _ **During the course of those years during the Summer season, people visited there. Some even camped there. But when that particular thirtieth year comes, along with the same yearly date of a six in its place at Summer-time, it all leads to mysterious deaths.**_

 _ **It was then a campground was built there. It was completed in late August of 1975 to get ready for a Summer camp in the June of 1976. During that time, some reported strange sightings while building the camp, but thought nothing of it after a while. When it was the Summer of 1976, there were more people on the island; children, teenagers, and adults alike.**_

 _ **But something happened during the camp.**_

 _ **Disappearances of children and adults have occurred. So much, that the camp was called off. Eight children, five teenagers, and three adults went missing, making it a total of sixteen people. No one knows what happened...the camp was abandoned after the incident...**_

 _ **They called the authorities to investigate...but they came back saying they couldn't find anything or anyone. No bodies were found. They came to the conclusion that bears have eaten them. All in all, they were all neutral to what happened. Even the town on the shore thought nothing of it anymore.**_

 _ **However, in June 2006, a reality television show was being filmed in the campground on the island. Twenty-two teenage contestants, the host, the chef, and the crew were to stay there for two months...**_

 _ **This island that they were staying at...was named Wawanakwa.**_

* * *

 **...IT HUNGERS...**

* * *

 _ **6:50 AM**_

* * *

"Hmm...this place ain't bad, Chris." said a large, muscular, dark-skinned man with a chef apron and chef's hat as he looked around the campground. They were in the middle of the site where people are setting up cameras for a new show, a show called _Total Drama Island_. "I got to admit, this is a good location for a reality show."

"See? What do I tell ya, Chef? This island here is _perfect_! Even from years of weather conditions, these cabins are still stable " said a handsome looking man, who was known as Chris McLean, wearing a dazzling smile on his face as he stood next to the bigger man. "And look, brah! It has a mess hall over there! You can start cooking up those recipes you've been dying to fix for these little trolls!"

The man known as Chef Hatchet smirked and chuckled, "Heh-heh! Well then, I'm all set! Say, speaking of the little gremlins, when are the contestants comin' over here?"

"Eh, around lunchtime, so I think you better start cooking up whatever slop you call food here real soon." Chris chuckled.

Chef frowned at Chris' jab. "Hey, watch it, pretty boy. I take pride in what I do."

"And you should! We're here to make these kids suffer, so not only this is gonna be 'great' summer for them, but it'll be an even _awesome_ summer for us!" Chris laughed crookedly. "But yeah, like I said, this island is fantastic! And we don't even have to pay for it!"

Chef raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Eh, this place was abandoned after something freaky happened. The owners didn't want to pay for the campground much longer because of it, so they let it go."

"Really?" Chef said in interest. "What happened?"

"Tch, I don't know, maybe bears came by and ate some people. They never really clarified on what happened." Chris said with a shrug.

Chef put a hand on his chin in thought. "Hmm...what's this island called, anyway? I never did get that memo."

"Eh, someplace that's hard to pronounce. Something like, uh…Wananawa?" Chris snickered as he shook his head, trying to pronounce the name right. "I don't know, dude."

Chef's eyes widened in surprise as he processed what Chris had said, "Huh? Wait…do you mean _Wawanakwa Island_?"

"Yeah! That's it!" Chris said, snapping his fingers at Chef with a grin. "Wawanakwa Island! Heh-heh, when I chose this site, the people over the town shore-side were acting all weird and paranoid about this island, all because of those kids and adults disappearances. They said stuff like, _'That island is cursed!'_ or _'Something is on that island! I wouldn't go near it!'_ or some bull. Hah! Yeesh, talk about superstitious."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute…you mean this is _the_ island where the 'Hunting Massacre' of 1946 happened?" Chef questioned, a little shocked.

"Eh?" Chris said as he looked at Chef strangely with a raised eyebrow. "The Hunting Massacre?"

"Yeah. I read something about this in the old archives in the town library while I was out cruising the town." Chef explained.

"Wait a minute, you read the archives of the town back there?" Chris asked in disbelief.

"Well...yeah. I'm a history buff," Chef said with a shrug.

Chris looked at him with a dull stare. "Dude, you need a new hobby."

The dark-skinned man scowled, "Well, _excuse_ me! I have some culture, unlike _you_."

Chris scoffed, " _Anyways_ , what were you saying about this 'hunting massacre'?"

"What I was _saying_ , was that there was a massacre here in the month of June 1946, when a group of soldiers who came back from the war went on a hunting trip to this island. Six men entered Wawanakwa Island and they stayed there overnight...in the next morning, however, only one came out of the island. And he was covered in blood. He said that all the other five men were dead."

"Whoa...brutal," Chris said casually.

"He also said that something was on the island, so the authorities checked it out. They said that they found their bodies with shotgun inflicted wounds on their chests...which the man who was alive was carrying."

"Ah. I know where this is going," Chris said with a nod.

"Yeah. So putting together that he was the culprit, they immediately arrested him."

"Hm...so, it was just a guy shooting up his buddies on the island acting all crazy then?"

"Apparently. I think it was more of a post-traumatic stress syndrome type of deal. Poor guy," Chef frowned shaking his head in pity.

"Yeah, pretty sad. So is there a reason why you told me this story?" Chris asked indifferently.

Chef's frown went deeper. "Come on Chris, show some compassion."

"Hey, it happened. Life goes on."

Chef glared at him until he sighed. "Anyway, I thought those events were connected in some way."

"Really? How can your story and mine be even connected _at all_?" Chris said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...maybe they were tragic events? One of those people warned you that this island is cursed, right?"

"Tch, you don't really believe that, do you, dude? I mean come on, I don't think it's that difficult to understand what went down. The first time was a horrible PTS syndrome incident, and that other time was just bears that came by and ate them. Just because some bad things _rarely_ happened here on this island _,_ doesn't really mean it's cursed. Sheesh, just because your great-grandma was said to be a voodoo priestess back in the Deep South of the U-S-of-A, doesn't mean you're one too!"

"Hey, I'm just sayin'! I want to make sure this island is safe." defended Chef.

"Dude, it _is_. I'm telling you, all those events were just dumb unfortunate occurrences. Besides, people have visited this island over the years, and they haven't gotten killed or turned out missing." Chris argued

"Hmm...well, that is true," Chef admitted.

"Yeah. So no worries! The chances of anything bad happening here are very slim! I've also had some scouts check around the island to see if there was any wildlife here. Turns out there isn't!" informed Chris.

"Really?" Chef raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"Yeah! What, do you think I WANT us to get sued if the contestants are harmed by wild animals? I've even put out a border where they can't cross the perimeter of where we're recording! It's all good!"

"…Hm. Okay then," Chef said with a nod. "So you got this all under control?"

"Chef, chillax! I _so_ got it all under control. It's cool, alright?" Chris smiled arrogantly with two thumbs up.

"...Alright." Chef said, kind of okay with that answer.

"Good! Now let's get ourselves ready for the victims', er, I mean, _contestants'_ arrivals." Chris said as he chuckled darkly.

"You know, from what you got planned for these kids, I'm feeling pretty sorry for them right now." Chef commented.

Chris laughed cruelly. "Hey, they've signed up for this! And believe me, it'll get way worse from there! Now chop-chop, Chef! We need to prepare our contestants something to eat! Make it as gruesome as you can!"

"...Don't test me, Chris," Chef said with a scowl.

* * *

...It can hear movement.

...It can hear _a lot_ of movement.

Somewhere, resting in parts unknown on the island, something had awakened.

Hiding from mortal eyes, it waits until it makes itself known.

Now isn't the time though...it needs to gather more information. It heard more were coming. _Adolescents_...

They weren't exactly little children, but if these adolescents were anything like the ones from thirty years ago, easy enough to prey on and scare, then they will be _excellent_ **food**.

When it landed in this plane of existence, it had time to study this meaningless world's habitat. It didn't go far, as it is limited to its perception, but its limitations were good enough for it to completely wipe away their cautious suspicion. Even the town on the shore is caught in its web.

Either way, when the time comes, it'll be time to _feast_.

All that _delectable, delicious, ripe_ flesh...all for it's taking.

The smell of mortal flesh was ever-present to it, driving it mad with _hunger._

It awoke from its slumber once more, anticipating to be fed. It is that time, that season, for this world's year to become hot and humid. That is when its superior powers heighten. And once there is no more to feast and the season is gone, then it will rest again...waiting...

No matter how many years it sleeps, time means nothing to it. It lived for a long amount of time in other dimensions, this plane of existence won't be any different...

However, when it craves for food, the anticipation is bothersome...

But it _can_ and _will_ wait...it can't rush the hunt.

It already knows the adults' weaknesses and fears. It shall soon know the adolescents' as well.

And they will all taste so marvelously _scrumptious_.

Yes, it will wait...

Until then...it _**hungers**_.

* * *

 **Okay! That's the first chapter! I do want to say, this creature ISN'T _THAT_ creature from where I got this story's inspiration from. This thing is _inspired_ by the creature from where I got this idea from...okay, seriously, if it's not obvious enough to know what I'm referring to, even if you don't know too much about the franchise, then...wow, really? XD**

 **But yeah, tell me with a review if you know what source material I'm using...I mean, if you want to. I'll give you a cookie. :O**

 **But do tell me what you think of this idea! I really am sorry for deleting "Thin", but I really didn't exactly know where to go with that story as I went on. :( But I'm certain I can make this one happen! :D**

 **So yeah, tell me what you all think in a review! Or fave and follow! Either one's good! :)**

 **Thank you for reading, and until then, keep on rocking everybody! ^_^**

 **-TSP**


	2. First Impressions

**[EDIT: 9/26/2018]**

* * *

Gwen sat on the boat as it drives over to its destination: Wawanakwa Island.

She has her clothes all packed into one suitcase, as well as her art supplies all in her art portfolio case. She sat there on the bumpy boat ride, with just her and the driver. No one said a word to each other, and really, Gwen prefers it that way. As she takes in her surroundings again for the fifth time(once again, more water...), she sees that another boat passed her in the opposite direction where she was heading to the island. It seems the other boats are picking up the contestants...

The goth looked ahead at the approaching large land mass that's surrounded by the waters of Lake Ontario. She could see a rundown dock on the shore, as well as a campsite in the distance. It didn't look like a five-star resort from what the brochure said...

Gwen frowned. _'Ugh...I should've known.'_ she sighed irritably. _'False advertising. Wonderful. Off to a great start here.'_

She'll have to give the host a little 'talk' when she arrives on the island. And here she was actually a little excited to get a nice massage...she knew it was too good to be true.

" _You need to make some new friends, Honey..."_

Her mother's voice and comment remained in her head. Gwen hummed at the memory, how her mother looked at her with concern and sorrow...mixed with sympathy. Sympathy on what the teenage girl was feeling...

Honestly, her mother was fine with her quote-unquote "Goth" lifestyle...well, some would say she's a goth because of the way she dresses, but really, it's her style, and she just likes the color black, as well as teal green. She even dyed parts of her hair with the latter color. All in all, she's supposedly labeled a goth, but really, she just her. And if there is one thing she hates the most, it's stereotypes. Sure, she likes horror movies(except the torture ones that hold no plot), bands like Nine Inch Nails and AFI, and dark poetry, but that's genuinely her preference.

But that's not the reason why her mother let her sign up for the show. Again, she's fine with her taste in music, movies, and fashion, and she knows Gwen is a smart girl. She doesn't just go out and do drugs, as well as drink and have unprotected, premarital sex. She wouldn't let her be here if that was the case.

She's just been isolating herself ever since...

Gwen cringed and looked down at her boots.

 _'I know Mom's trying to help me out...but still...I can't just forget about-'_

"We're almost there." said the boat driver, interrupting her thoughts.

She glanced up at the driver with a blank stare. "...Great." She then adjusted her posture to sit straight. _'Don't want Mom to see me slouch.'_ Gwen mildly smirked at that. She may be labeled as a goth, but this so-called goth has learned proper posture etiquette from her mother, _'Not that I care what anyone else here will think of me,'_ she rolled her eyes. _'But since this is a reality TV show, I better be on my best behavior and represent my family...'_

Family...

She scowled. _'Would you stop thinking that!? What's done is done...you knew it was gonna happen sooner or later. You're here now, so you might have to make the best of it...right after I chew the head off of this host for straight up lying about this being a five-star resort.'_

Once the boat was getting closer to the island, it was soon parked next to the wooden dock. On it was a handsome dark-haired man with the biggest showman's smile on his face.

"And here comes our third contestant, Gwen!" announced the handsome man known as Chris McLean.

As soon as Gwen stepped over onto the dock(which felt a little unstable) with her suitcase in one hand and her art portfolio in the other, she made her way over to Chris with a sour look on her face. "What is this!? This isn't a five-star resort!" she exclaimed in aggravation.

Chris snickered, "Obviously. Welcome to Camp Wawanakwa Island!"

"A camp!?" Gwen exclaimed once more, glaring at the host. "I didn't sign up for this!"

"Actually, you did. Even though your mom kind of forced ya to do it," Chris said this with a grin. "But hey, even though this isn't a fancy resort, it's the next best thing!"

"And that would be...?" Gwen urged him to continue in annoyance.

"Mother nature!" Chris proclaimed, his arms stretched out to emphasize.

Gwen gave him a blank glare. "...Yeah, me and 'mother nature' _don't_ get along."

"Well, it's not like you could leave the island right now or anything," Chris advised.

"Oh yes I will!" Gwen turned around to the boat...and saw that it was driving away to the shore. She scowled. "It doesn't matter. I'll just wait for the next boat."

"Uh, yeah, nah, that's not gonna work," Chris smirked. "And no matter how much you threaten the drivers, they're not gonna budge. Besides, you're on a contract. And before you even decide to find it and rip it to shreds, we have a _thousand_ copies of them."

Gwen glared at the host harshly.

Chris chuckled, "Sorry, you're stuck here! Might as well make the best of it!"

Her glare lessened, but she still held a venomous tone. "Might as well..." She grabbed her stuff and went over to the two contestants that were on the dock. She stood next to the bulky dark-skinned teen with a white skull cap on his head along with a tight-fitting shirt and shorts, while there was a shorter girl that's wearing flashy colored clothes, glasses, and braces as she stands next to the dark-skinned young man.

"Uh, hey. Name's DJ." the dark-skinned teen introduced himself to Gwen.

"Hi! My name's Beth!" The girl known as Beth said in a happy tone.

"Hey. Gwen." Gwen said to both of them bluntly.

DJ and Beth both blinked and glanced at each other in question. DJ went ahead and asked Gwen, "Um...you okay?"

"Not really," Gwen casually. "This really wasn't my idea to begin with coming here, but here I am either way."

"Oh...well, I'm sure this whole reality TV show competition won't be too bad," DJ assured her.

"Yeah! It could be fun!" Beth said in excitement.

Gwen turned her head to them. "...Stupid question, but this is both your first time at a reality TV show, isn't it?"

"Um...yeah?" DJ answered, unsure of how to reply to that.

"Well, yeah..." Beth answered hesitantly.

"Then trust me, from what I've seen on these shows, you won't be having _any_ fun. Especially since the host just lied to us about this place being a five-star resort." Gwen clarified.

"Oh...well, yeah, that was pretty disappointing," DJ said, his hand rubbing behind the back of his head.

"Oh yeah...well, being in a summer camp can be fun!" Beth optimistically reassured.

Gwen just stared at Beth blankly for a second, rolled her eyes and sighed. She turned her head to the next arriving boat that was carrying a blonde haired guy with a cowboy hat on, as well as a pink shirt, shorts, and sandals. He was apparently hooting it up with the host.

 _'...This is gonna be a long two months.'_ Gwen thought in despair.

* * *

 _'Wow! I'm almost there!'_ Cody thought with excitement. _'Soon I'll be on a reality TV show and hang out with some cool kids! And maybe I'll bag a girlfriend here while I'm at it!'_

Ever the optimistic, Cody, the tech geek, sees the island in the distance as his boat drives nearer to it. Ever since he signed for this show and been accepted, he couldn't wait to meet new people and feel independent. His mother is a little overprotective of him, always coddling him, and while he does appreciate it and loves his mom, he really wanted to try to live with other people and not be hovered over. And this could be the perfect chance! He's glad to be even on the show. There could be thousands of more kids that have been chosen for this program, and he was one of the lucky ones! Now that he's here, he'll be taken seriously at his school; no more unpopular status, no more jokes about him, and no more girls ignoring him(even though he plans on maybe getting a girlfriend on the show)! From here on in, he's getting a fresh new start!

" _Just be yourself, Cody-Dear."_ His mother had told him.

Cody frowned somberly at that as he looked down at his shoes from where he sat. _'I tried being myself at school...but it just doesn't work, Mom. I want to be someone different...someone people can relate to."_

Social status reigned at his school, and he doesn't want people here to view him as some dorky nerd. In fact, he's tired of being viewed as that. Sure he likes video games and other tech stuff, but that doesn't make him dorky! He likes to think he's cooler than that.

Looking up at the island, he was getting closer to it, seeing other different kids, probably just like him, as well as the host of the show standing on the dock waiting for him.

 _'...I wonder if Dad is gonna watch this.'_

Cody frowned solemnly once more at the mention of his father.

 _'...I wonder_ where _Dad is right now.'_

Remembering his parents' divorce was always a little disheartening. His father was so involved in his work, always traveling from one country to another, that his mother grew tired of it. They were still on good terms, but it still was a painful reminder. He was thirteen at the time.

He did love his dad, and his father always provides for him whenever he can, giving him extra money. And while he's grateful for that, he just wishes he'd come home and visit, at least for the holidays. He left behind his mother and him, all for work.

At times, he does feel a little betrayed when he doesn't see him for Christmas, Easter, or even his birthday. There were all just regular phone calls. But still, nonetheless, he knows he's doing all of this for them. For him at least.

As soon as he was almost near the shoreline of the island, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. _'Okay Cody, now's not the time to feel depressed. You're gonna be on a reality TV show, so act like it! Think suave, think charming, think...like you're a cool dude! Yeah! Don't do any stupid stuff! Think like you can bag some ladies. Think...the Codemeister! Heh...that's kind of good.'_

And with that, Cody smirked slyly as he put up his so-called alter ego as 'the Codemeister'. "Let's do this."

"And here's our tenth contestant, Cody!" Chris announced to the camera.

Getting up from his seat, Cody grabbed his suitcases and proceed to get off the boat. "Heya, Chris!" he greeted with a cool smirk. "Glad to be here!" he turned his attention to the contestants, mostly the female ones. "And hey, looks like some of the ladies have arrived!" he winked and them the gun-hand gesture in their direction.

The girls, which consist of four, a blonde girl with a large bust, a girl with glasses, a tall Asian girl, and a goth-looking girl, all turned to look at Cody. The short girl with glasses, named, Beth raised an eyebrow, while the Asian girl, named Heather, scoffed and rolled her eyes, and the blonde named Lindsay just blinked and looked left and right around her to see where he was pointing at. The goth named Gwen just rolled her eyes groaned.

 _'Wow...that girl with the teal green highlights in her hair looks really hot...'_ Cody thought as he smiled.

He also noticed five boys; a dark-skinned one(who is DJ), a guy in a cowboy hat, a guy in a red jumpsuit, a tough looking guy with a green mohawk, and a skinny redhead. The mohawk wearing one chuckled loudly, while the rest of the guys just looked at each other in question, the jumpsuit wearing looking jock shrugging his shoulders.

Chris chuckled. "Okay then, Romeo, go on ahead and get acquainted with everyone. There's still more contestants that are coming."

"Sure thing!" Cody said with another smirk. He picked up and carried his luggage and went to the guys' group.

"Sup, fellas?" Cody greeted them.

DJ smiled at Cody. "Sup? Name's DJ."

"Tyler." the red jumpsuit wearing teen said with his thumb pointed at him, giving Cody his own smile.

"Geoff, little dude!" the guy in the cowboy hat said with a carefree smile.

"Harold." the redhead teen told him with a smile of his own.

The mohawk teen 'humphed'. "Duncan."

"Cool." Cody nodded. "So, other than money, what are you all here for?"

DJ chuckled, "Well, I'm here just to make new friends." he answered honestly.

"Here to par-tay as much as I can! Life's too short, you know?" Geoff made clear.

"Well, just so I can test out my skills in the competition. And hopefully to pick up a girlfriend, if I'm lucky," Tyler said with a casual shrug.

"Me too on the first thing! I'm here so I can test out my mad skills as well." Harold clarified with a smile.

"Tch, dweeb." scoffed Duncan.

Harold glanced at him with a glare.

Cody could sense some tension between Harold and Duncan, so he decided to not go anywhere near that. "So, um...are you also here for anything else besides money, Duncan?" Cody asked him.

Duncan looked at Cody with raised his unibrow over his left eye. He then smirked mischievously. "Juvie hall wanted me to clean up my act by making new friends."

Cody blinked and started to get a little nervous inside. "Juvie...hall? As in...juvenile facility?"

Duncan rolled his eyes. "No, juvie hall as in your _mom_. Of course a juvenile facility, dork."

"Whoa, okay, I just...w-well...I never thought they could do that." Cody reasoned with his hands up in defense.

Duncan smirked again and chuckled cynically. "Yeah, it kind of sucks that I'm in a family full of cops. You can probably say I've been running from the law ever since I was little."

"Oh, uh...well, that's...intriguing." Cody winced at his choice of words.

"I would think so too. Maybe I can tell you about it in _great detail_?" Duncan grinned impishly.

"Uh...t-that's okay." Cody gulped silently.

 _'Yikes. Better stay clear away from this one.'_

He quickly turns to DJ. "But hey, I'm here to make friends too!" he turned to Tyler next. "And maybe even pick up a girlfriend also! Although, they be swarming all over me back home."

DJ smiled knowingly. "Really?"

"Yeah. They call me the Codemeister when it comes to women." Cody smirked confidently.

"The _Codemeister_?" Tyler said out loud in confusion.

Duncan gave out a laugh, clearly amused. "Oh man! You know what? You're alright, kid."

"Huh...Codemeister, eh?" Harold said as he rubbed his chin in a thoughtful look.

Geoff chuckled. "Right on, brah!" he gave him a fist bump, which Cody gladly accepted with a smile.

 _'Alright! This is going great so far! Just keep this up! You'll be part of the cool crowd in no time!'_ Cody thought in excitement as he stood with the rest of the guys as the other contestants came on the dock.

* * *

After all twenty-two contestants have arrived and took their group photo on the dock, they, along with Chris, made their way to the campfire pit. Some of the contestants exchanged greetings and chatted with each other, which Cody struck a conversation with Harold on what kind of skills he had.

"You took up ballet?" Cody asked Harold in bewilderment.

"Yeah. Ballet is actually very good for being in fights whenever you're in close combat with someone. It helps give you a lot of balance." Harold explains.

"Huh...I guess that makes sense." Cody said with shrug. He looked ahead of him and saw that the goth-looking girl was sitting on two rows in front of him.

Cody smirked. "Excuse me for a second. I need to lay on the Codemeister's charm for a little bit." He got up and stepped over the row in front of him.

Harold raised a brow. ' _This oughtta be interesting...'_

As soon as he reached the vacant seat next to the goth girl, he plopped down on it, startling her.

"Hey," Cody said with a nod and a smirk.

The girl just looked at him oddly for a moment, until narrowing eyes a bit. "...Hey."

Cody's smirk became wider. "How you doin'?"

She just gave him a blank stare. "...If I say 'fine', will you go away?"

The confidence in Cody's smirk lessened, "Hey, just being nice."

"Yeah, I bet," the girl muttered coldly looking away from him as she looked ahead of her.

Blinking, Cody cleared his throat and said, "So, uh, what's your name? Never got that memo."

Sighing in exasperation, she turned back to him with a glare. "Gwen. Now, will you please just go and bother some other girl with your so-called Casanova act and leave me alone? I don't need this right now." the girl named Gwen turned her head to look away from him.

Cody frowned. Deciding to drop the ladies man act for now, he asked, "Uh...are you okay?"

Gwen growled in irritation and said without looking at him. "No, I'm _not_. I'm stuck here on an island that was _supposed_ to be a five-star resort like the brochure said, but it turns out to be a run down camp. I'm also forced to get to know people that I don't know because my mom told me that I should _and_ to top it all off, I'm apparently being hit on. So again, _no_ , I'm **_not_** _okay_."

The tech geek cringed, "Oh...um..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "So...you're not even here for the money?"

Gwen scoffed, "Believe it or not, that's the only thing that's making me kind of stay, whatever the total is."

"Excuse me," said a proper feminine voice in front of them, which was a pretty mocha skinned young woman. She turned to them but looked at Gwen. "But I couldn't help but overhear that you're having certain problems."

"Gee, you can tell?" Gwen droned, gesturing her head at Cody.

"I can. But right now, I want to focus on _you_." the girl said. "As you may already know from my entrance, my name is Courtney, and I'm a CIT."

"A counselor-in-training?" Gwen said in slight alarm. "Oh no. Noooo, no, no, _no_! Sorry, but I don't want to add anything more to my misery here."

"Now you say you don't want to add any more misery to your situation." Courtney speculated. "Why is that? What's the source of your misery?"

Cody winced. He didn't really mean for any of this to happen.

Gwen glared. "Right now, you two."

"Hey, uh, I-I'm really sorry, I-I didn't mean-" Cody tried to apologize.

"Alright, everyone!" Chris hollered. "Time to let you all know the rules of this little competition!"

All the teens turned their attention to the host, who was standing near the campfire pit. Chris went on to tell everyone that whoever is the last one standing in the competition will win a small grand prize money of one hundred thousand dollars. He also noted that they'll be divided into two teams, each of the eleven contestants having their own cabins on the east and west side of the camp, the boys on one side of the cabin, and the girls on the other side of the cabin. Each contestant is selected to their two teams, which they're called The Screaming Gophers(which Cody and Gwen are in, much to Gwen's dissatisfaction) and The Killer Bass. They have thirty minutes to unpack their things, and once they have, they'll be called to the main lodge/mess hall to have a briefing on their meal schedule, as well as getting something to eat there.

As soon as Chris was done, Gwen grabbed her luggage and got up from her seat.

"Wait!" Cody began to say as he got up, "I just-"

"Let's get things straight, okay?" Gwen said indifferently. "I'm in no mood to flirt. In fact, I don't want _anyone_ to flirt with me right now. I just want to be in my cabin, be on my new temporary bed for the time being, and just question my _life_ _as of_ _now._ So please, just...leave me _alone._ " And with that, she went her way to her respected cabin.

Cody stood there in shock. He never got a rejection that...cold. Whenever someone rejects him, it would be a lot nicer than that. He wondered what's gotten into the girl to make her act that way. Sure, she might be a goth, but goths aren't really _that_ harsh.

Meanwhile, Courtney, who saw the scene, hummed in thought. "Very interesting..." she turned to Cody, " _You_ don't bother her any further!" she said sternly as she got her stuff and walked to her own cabin.

Cody blinked, still dumbfounded at what just happened. It was then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see that it was Harold.

"You know, to be fair, I think she was just having a bad day," Harold assured him.

Cody frowned. "Yeah...probably," he said, looking down.

"Don't worry about it. Maybe she needs to chill for a while." Harold advised.

"Yeah..." Cody muttered, thinking about what would make Gwen be so upset.

"Well, I gotta jet over here. See ya at the competition! Let the best man or woman win." Harold said, leaving Cody to think for himself.

"Yeah," Cody repeated, still in thought.

 _'I wonder what's gotten into that Gwen girl?'_

Honestly, he felt like he should help. Not so he can score a girlfriend or anything like that, but he really did feel sympathy for her. He said he came to make new friends, so he's determined to do that. Maybe she couldn't be his girlfriend, but she could be his friend at least.

* * *

As Gwen was carrying her stuff, she reflected on how she acted towards Cody while making way to her cabin.

 _'Perhaps I was a little too harsh on the guy.'_ she shook her head. _'No, he has to know that I'm not in any mood for any bullcrap right now. I just want to want to settle in, and rest for the moment...'_

She sighed, wanting these two months to go by as quick as they can...

 ** _"...Gwen."_**

Gwen froze. Her eyes widened.

She turned around to see if she can spot anyone who might've said that.

That voice...it sounded...familiar...in fact, it's _v_ _ery_ familiar. It sounded like...

But...it can't be. Is she hearing things?

"Hey, you okay, girl?" asked a feminine voice.

Gwen turned to the voice behind her, seeing it was the young African-Canadian woman named Leshawna, who raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...yeah." Gwen then picked up the pace, Leshawna standing there looking at the goth oddly.

As soon as she got nearer to her cabin, she thought back to what she had just heard. It sounded so clear, so definite, that she was certain it sounded like...

 _'No, it couldn't be...there's no way...'_

The voice sounded like...her deceased father.

* * *

Somewhere in the island...something anticipates.

It made its first move...

But it has to keep waiting...things have changed during this world's evolving culture...they're perhaps smarter now. They'll suspect something, although it wouldn't matter. If one escapes, it'll let the people in town back at the mainland shore think the person or people that were left alive did it. And soon, their minds will be meddled with, seeing things that are not there, and not remembering anything that happened. They'll all think they've committed the crime. Even the survivors' will not have a recollection of me. Their minds will be erased...it'll be all _too_ _easy._

It already knows their weaknesses and fears... _yes_...their **_fears_.** Sweet, delectable, and feared **_food_**.

It hummed in pleasure...

Feared _flesh_... _that kind of flesh is always_ sublime _!_

In truth, its hunger is everlasting, but to it, it doesn't care. If it was honest, the hunt is more exciting than the actual feast.

It chuckles darkly, scrapping his tongue against its upper teeth, mouth salivating. Oh, it _loved_ playing with its food...these pathetic inferior _worms_ are just so much _fun_ to manipulate.

" _ **Soon, in due time...I will**_ **feed.** ** _"_**

* * *

 **There you go! I hope it sounds good so far! Tell me what you think! :D**

 **Also, yes, I made Cody be the 10th contestant to enter. I hope that change is okay since this is a Gwody story after all. I was thinking that they would meet before Trent would come and woo Gwen, so there you go. X) Oh, and there will be other pairings as well...which quite frankly, I need some time to think about who ends up with who. :P And don't worry, these selected characters that'll soon be paired up in the story will survive as well! ;)**

 **Again, tell me what you think! Please give me a review, a fave, or a follow! Either one is fine! :D Until then, I'll see you guys later! :)**

 **Keep on rocking, everybody! ^_^**

 **-TSP**

 **(By the way, yes, you're all correct. This story is based on IT. ;) )**


	3. Voices

As soon as the girls of the Screaming Gophers entered their side of the cabin, Gwen wordlessly went to her chosen bed in which she would rest in, her mind still occupied on what she might've heard outside.

 _'It couldn't have been...'_ Gwen frowned as she placed her suitcase next to her bed. _'No, it just...that couldn't have been my father.'_ she grimaced even further as she shook her head. She proceeded to sit on the side of her bed, wondering if her ears were failing her.

Then a thought occurred to her. _'Wait...wouldn't the others have heard it as well?'_ she narrowed her eyes in uncertainty. _'No one had stopped to hear it...did I just imagine it? ...Yeah...that could be it.'_

Or...it could be her father's spirit.

Gwen's eyes widened at the thought.

She had been a firm believer in the supernatural. It comes with being a goth...well, actually, she believes it either way. Miracles, psychics, possessions...ghosts. Even a higher being...such as God. She was raised in a Catholic home, although she didn't really practice any of the customs, she does know that she's saved. Her parents were quite understanding though and had told her that the only things she needed to know in life, was that to always love God and to believe what He has done for everyone and to love and care for others. They also told her that everything in the Universe, as well as everything that happens, has a purpose or a reason.

...So why did her father have cancer and die because of it?

She questioned her faith for quite a while after he passed, going into a deep depression. It was three weeks ago since his passing, and she hadn't seen her friends since then, spoke to her family except when she eats, and even when she does, she eats less. She couldn't even continue on with her art. In due time though, around the second week, she received comfort from her mother and brother, and in ways, it helped. And what happened, happened. But her father was a big part of her life. He was the reason she got into art, him being a cartoon artist, and telling her to create anything that her emotions can display, and she took what he said to heart. But now that he's gone...it's like part of her life is gone as well.

She couldn't be mad at God...if it happened, it happened for a reason...but still...why did He take him away from her?

But even after saying all of that, was that really her father's voice she heard outside?

"Hey, Gwen, right?" said a voice above from where the goth sat on her bed.

Thoughts pushed aside, Gwen looked up to see Leshawna, who looked at her curiously.

"Yeah?" Gwen answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Just want to make sure if you're alright?" Leshawna asked. "You seem to space out there when we were outside."

Before Gwen could try to defend herself, the Asian girl known as Heather, scoffed. "Sounds like something a weird goth girl would do alright."

Turning her head to Heather, who's standing next to her bed across from hers, Gwen blinked dumbfounded. Realizing that she was being insulted by the Asian girl, she glared at her. _"Excuse me_?"

Heather shrugged. "Hey, I'm just stating a fact. Although that would be pretty old if you keep doing that _all_ the time."

Leshawna frowned at the Asian girl, "Hey, you best need to chill on out there, girl."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I came here to win, not to make friends. So let's get things straight right here, right now; we may be a team now, but none of you get in my way during the competitions, alright?"

"Sheesh, what crawled up your freakin' ass and died?" Gwen retorted in frustration.

"Oh real cute, goth girl," sneered Heather. "I'm just saying along the lines in the competition, we'll be rivals from here, so don't be surprised that we'll all be at each other's necks in the future."

"We will?" Lindsay asked confused while she unpacked. "Why would we do that? I like to get to know everyone! And I like my neck!"

Heather sighed irritably and made her way out of the cabin, swiftly passing and bumping into Beth on the way who was entering the cabin with her luggage.

"Hey!" Beth called out. She frowned and muttered, "At least say 'excuse me'..."

Leshawna frowned at the door that Heather went out of. "You know, she reminds me of the beginning alphabet; A, queen, B."

"What? But there's a B after A." Lindsay said, who knelt in front of an open drawer as she puts her pajamas in it. "...Is there?" She mulled it over, a little confused.

Gwen just stared at Lindsay dully for a moment and turned her attention to Leshawna with a smirk, "Nice one, um...?"

"Leshawna," the dark-skinned girl said with a smile.

Gwen nodded with the same smirk. "Okay then. So what brings you here, Leshawna?"

"Ah, well, you know, I came here just for the friendly competition, and of course, the money."

"Hm. Think you're prepared to work with little 'Miss Sunshine' back there?" Gwen asked, mentioning Heather.

"Pfft! I ain't scared of her! She can talk big all she wants, but I bet that's all she can do; talk big. She ain't never met this sister from the hood!"

"Hood, huh? Where are you from?"

"Toronto. Born and raised."

"I thought Toronto was a friendly city."

"Heh, some parts are. Where are you from?"

"Kingston."

"Cool. That city has some nice architecture there. Is it true that it's kind of haunted?"

"Well, it is called "Limestone City". And ghosts like to hang around limestone, so I would say yes. You can also pretty much see where I got my 'goth' look from."

Leshawna chuckled, "You know, you're a cool gal. You're alright in my book."

Gwen smiled lightly, "Thanks. You're alright too."

It was then one of the other girls, Katie entered the cabin, looking distraught.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lindsay asked in concern.

Katie whimpered, "I _really_ don't want to be separated from Sadie! She's like my BFF! And we're on _other_ teams! We have to face each other!"

"Hey, no worries!" Beth told Katie in comfort, "It's okay, it's just a game. It'll be all in good fun! You'll still be friends with Sadie if that's what you're worried about. If your friendship with her is stronger than you say it is, then you shouldn't worry about anything!"

Katie sniffled. "I...I guess..."

"Hey, we can be your friends!" Lindsay told Katie with a smile.

Sniffling again, Katie said, "R-Really?"

"Sure!" Beth agreed. "We'll help you fill in the void of your friend. If you want us to, that is."

Katie became teary-eyed as she smiled. She nodded and said with a stutter, "T-That would be really nice. In fact, I would really like that! That would be so wonderful! Thank you so much, girls!" she hugged them both, which Lindsay and Beth hugged her back.

Gwen looked on at the scene with a neutral expression, but after a while, she couldn't help but smirk.

 _'You know...maybe this won't be so bad. Maybe I do need to lighten up a bit...'_ However, her mind was still on the voice that she heard outside...Gwen looked up at Leshawna, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Leshawna turned to the goth with a smile, "Sure thing,"

"Did you...hear something outside while we were going in our cabin?"

Leshawna looked at her curiously, "Was that why you stopped and looked at the forest?"

"Uh...yeah," Gwen admitted. "I, um...thought I heard something."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well..." she actually thought about telling Leshawna, but quickly thought against it. It would be kind of personal to tell this girl that she barely knows about hearing her deceased father's voice. She shook her head and said with a smirk, "You know what? It was nothing. I must've heard an animal or something."

Leshawna raised an eyebrow. "Oh...okay. What did it sound like?"

 _'Shoot. Okay, just think of something half-believable.'_ "Um...it kind of sounded like...maybe a badger or something?" Gwen shrugged.

"A badger? Out here on an island in this part of Canada?" questioned Leshawna skeptically.

"Hey, I thought so too," Gwen said convincingly.

"Huh...well, that's strange. I hope there ain't any dangerous wild animals around here on this island." Leshawna commented.

"Hm...yeah, me neither." the goth muttered a bit, actually considering that.

 _'I wonder if this island is full of wildlife...nah, they wouldn't put us in any danger like that. I mean, this show is run by professionals...we're all good.'_ Gwen nodded at that conclusion.

* * *

As soon as Cody entered the cabin with the rest of the boys, he wordlessly went to a bed and placed his suitcase next to it. He stood there, thinking of the goth girl known as Gwen.

 _'Man...I need to apologize to her...maybe being a 'cool dude' can wait another time. I have to know what's bothering her.'_

"Hey, uh, Cody, right?" said a voice behind him.

Cody turned around to see that it was Trent, the musician. He was carrying his guitar case with both of the straps around his arms and shoulders.

"Uh, yeah...Trent, right?" Cody asked.

"Yeah. You okay, man? You seem distracted about something," he asked kindly.

"Oh, uh...just, um...well-" Cody was about to say what's on his mind, until the tanned boy named Noah spoke up.

"He was flirting with the goth girl, but she harshly rejected him," he says with a drawl, reading a book on his new bed.

"Hey, no one asked you!" Cody snapped at him with a scowl. He paused for a second, "Were you watching me and Gwen?"

"So that's her name, huh? And yes. I can't help but watch comedic tragedies play into action." Noah says with dry humor.

Cody frowned as he glowered at him.

"Aw, man, I hate tragedies. They need little pick-me-ups at the end, like a bunny singing about sunshine and rainbows. Haha! That would totally catch people off guard, and they'll have a good laugh about it!" the big guy known as Owen says once he put his luggage down.

"...That...actually could work in that medium." Noah says with pleasant surprise.

"Haha! _Sweet_!" Owen laughed.

"Um...anyways, do you mean that girl with the teal highlights in her hair?" Trent asked.

The handsome young man known as Justin, who was unpacking his suitcase, heard their conversation and says, "Hm. She is a nice looking gal."

"Yeah..." Cody says as he put his hands in his pockets, deep in thought.

Noah sighed. "Look, don't be so sulky about it. Just try a new tactic next time."

The tech geek looked up. "Wha? No, it's not that, it's just-well, I was gonna apologize to her, but...I think she's bothered by something."

Trent thought about it as well, "Hmm...she did look a little frustrated when I set foot on the island."

"...Maybe it's her time of the month?" Owen speculated.

"Whoa, dude! Too much information!" Justin says as he stopped unpacking and looked at Owen with a grimace.

Cody and Trent both blushed while Noah just scowled at him saying, " _Seriously_."

Owen grinned sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"Well...either way, I just want to apologize to her and maybe be her friend at least." Cody reasoned.

Trent smiled at the tech geek, "That's commendable."

Turning to the musician, he smiled, "Thanks."

Noah shrugged, "Hey, that's a start. Maybe you should drop the Codemeister bit as well."

Trent blinked and looked at Cody oddly, "The...Codemeister?"

"Well...yeah." Cody smiled weakly, "That's my name for ladi-" he then groaned, "oh, forget it."

Noah raised a brow. "Wow. You gave up on that quickly."

Cody sighs once more, "I mean, who am I kidding? I pretty much made a fool of myself when I tried to talk to girls, as _usual_ , I'm pretending to be something I'm not, and that Gwen girl thinks I'm some dork now. Man, what a way to start this whole reality TV show thing." he says miserably as he facepalmed himself.

Trent frowned at Cody's misfortune. Before he said anything to him, Justin spoke up, "Hey guy, look. So you're a dork, have a lanky frame, a little gawky, and may not look like me. Just stick at what you're good at and some other girl will find an interest in you."

Cody looked at Justin with a dull look. "That...didn't really help at all."

"Uh, let me try, okay?" Trent says to Justin, who just shrugged. The musician turned to Cody, "Look, you pretty much admit that you did something wrong. That takes a lot of guts. And you wanting to be friends with Gwen and burying the hatchet with her is surely a step forward. But you know, you don't have to act like another person to let girls like you. Just be yourself. You seem like a level-headed guy."

The tech geek frowned and as his eyes looked down at the floor. "Well...I just want to let her know that I'm sorry. And I know I should be myself, but I feel like that's not good enough."

"Let me guess; you come from a school that not only runs on status but on looks too?" Noah speculated.

"...You seem to know this stuff pretty well," Cody says with a raised brow.

"Hey, I'm like you in some ways. Although for me, I don't let it bother me whatsoever, because you know what? Screw them. I'm comfortable with my quote-unquote 'nerdy' self, and you should too."

Cody blinked at the somewhat sage advice. "Wow...I mean, I could probably think like that...thanks."

Noah shrugged. "No problem. Just be you, amigo." He went back to reading his book.

"Yeah! I mean, look at me!" stated Owen, "I'm a pretty big guy, and I'm happy and confident with my largeness! And people like me for my jolly personality!"

"Yeah, Cody. Just try to be yourself. I mean, we're all different here, you don't have to be a different person to act like yourself." Trent advised.

Silent as he thought about what each boy said, he nodded, "Okay...I'll try to keep what you all said in mind."

Before anyone said anything else, the voice of the host Chris came blaring outside.

" _ **Twenty minutes!"**_ he called from a megaphone. **_"Just a little reminder!"_**

After Chris was quiet, Trent says, "I think we better unpack our stuff," He patted Cody on the shoulder with a smile, "Remember what we said, okay Cody?"

"Yeah...I will." Cody nodded with a smile as well.

* * *

As soon as the guys and girls all unpacked their things, they relaxed in their cabin for a while until it was time to go to the main lodge where the mess hall is. They met Chef Hatchet, who instructed them that they'll be eating exactly three meals a day. They soon gathered in a line to get their somewhat questionable lunch that Chef is preparing. Chris came in to also say that they have forty-five minutes to finish their food and have an hour until the challenge starts.

Once Gwen got her food, which was a steaming bowl of unappetizing-looking 'soup' on a serving tray, she sat down at the long table, seemingly all alone there. However, the voice she heard outside a while ago bothered her to no end. She thought about it some more as she sat at the table, a troubled frown on her face.

 _'I'm not going crazy, am I? That couldn't be what I've heard. But...if that was my father, then...what could it mean?'_

"Um...hey."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Gwen turned to see...Cody. He was carrying his tray and bowl of soup as well. She glared at him, but her features softened a bit when she saw that Cody looked nervous.

"Uh, hi," Cody began to say, "Okay, um...look, I'm...I'm really sorry. I was acting kind of...well, not myself. And...I'm, uh, sorry if I came out strong on the flirting. I don't want there to be any bad blood between us, and...well, I just want to start over. But before we do, I just...want to know if you're okay? You seem like you're upset about something. I hope I'm not prying or anything like that, I'm just...I'm just concerned."

Gwen looked at him, eyes widened a bit in surprise at how civil and nice he was acting. Was this the same guy who tried to hit on her in the most arrogant way possible?

...Well, she didn't _actually_ give him a chance to say anything else. She basically told him to shove off...it kind of made her feel bad snapping at him like that back at the campfire pit now that she thinks about it. Her eyes soften as she looked at Cody, who looked a little anxious standing there in the mess hall.

 _'Huh...well, I guess there are even more surprises_ _in store for me today.'_

Seeing as she still hadn't answered Cody's question, she then said, "Uh...yeah, I'm...I'm really fine. I'm just...thinking about some certain stuff that's happening in my life right now."

"Oh. Um, okay...do you, uh...want to talk about it?" Cody asked, wincing at what the supposed answer would be.

Gwen looked at Cody again, but with a neutral expression.

Cody, feeling like he had intruded in her space, stuttered, "U-Um, uh, I-I mean, s-sorry, I was-I was just-I mean...you know...talking about it can help sometimes."

Gwen stared at him for a second, until she gave him a small smile. "Yeah...it does."

Cody blinked and smiled sheepishly.

Gwen chuckled. "Cody, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah."

"Okay then. Well...since we're apologizing, I do want to say that I'm sorry I blew up on you. I guess I was acting kind of bitchy towards you back there."

"Oh, no, I completely deserved it! I mean, I was acting kind of a...well, kind of a dork, I would think."

Gwen smiled once more. "You want to sit down?"

"Huh?" Cody looked confused. "You mean...next to you?"

Gwen rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, you could, if you want."

"Oh! Uh...okay!" He says with a smile as he sits next to Gwen's right side. "So, um...what's been bugging you?"

Gwen's smile faded as she looked thoughtful. "Well...it's mostly..." she sighed and shook her head, "It's mostly family stuff..."

"Oh..." Cody can make two deductions out of that; one of her parents wasn't always there for her, or someone died in the family. He wondered which one it could be, but then he figured that now wasn't a good time to even talk about it since they're in public. So it was then decided as he said, "Um, you don't have to tell me anymore. No, I-I mean," he mentally cursed to himself. "If it's way too much of a touchy subject for you, then I understand if you don't want to delve any further."

Gwen looked at him and smiled. "Actually, I do want to discuss this with somebody. Of course, not here. Maybe...after lunch?"

Cody, who was surprised that Gwen would even be willing to talk to him about this, smiled in appreciation. "Sure."

"So what're y'all doing?" Leshawna came up to them as she sat next to Gwen's other side.

"Oh, hey Leshawna. Just chatting away with Cody here," Gwen says as she motioned to the boy.

"Oh...you mean the 'Codemeister'?" Leshawna says with a raised brow.

"Uh, heh, yeah. I'm...kind of done with that now." Cody says a little sheepishly.

Leshawna looked at him warily, but she soon smiled at him. "Alright then. Nice to meet ya, Cody."

"Same," Cody says with a two finger salute.

Leshawna chuckled. "So, how about this food, huh?"

"I'm not sure if I label this as 'food'," Gwen says with a wince as she averts her attention to the 'soup'.

"Yeah..." Cody grimaced at the bubbling concoction.

It was then Tyler sat across from them at the table. "Shh! Don't let that Chef Hatchet guy hear you," he quietly warned.

"Yeah, unless you want a second helping," Noah says as he sat next to Cody.

"Aw, come on guys, I'm sure it isn't that bad!" Geoff tried to reassure them as he sat next to Tyler. As he looked at his soup again, he sees what looks like a frog leg floating in it. "...Uh...it might be a French delicacy?" he says hesitantly with an uneasy smile.

"Yeeeah, I ain't eating this," Duncan says as he sat next to Leshawna.

"It is rather...unrefined looking," Courtney threw her two cents in, sitting next to Noah.

"Yeah, um...it doesn't look too pleasant," Trent says as he sat next to Tyler's other side.

"Don't act like I can't hear you kids! Y'all are gonna eat it and feel good too!" Chef hollered out to them from the kitchen, which they cringed.

"Uugh! I don't think I can eat this anyways. I'm a vegetarian," Bridgette says as she grimaced at the soup, sitting down next to Courtney.

"Really? You don't eat meat whatsoever?" Harold asked as he sat next to her.

"Yeah," Bridgette confirmed, "I just can't imagine eating something that used to be an animal. I mean they're put here on Earth just to live, right?"

"Well, animals eat other animals, and we're basically animals ourselves," Noah stated.

"Oh, that is _such_ a barbaric thing to say," Courtney scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

Noah shrugged, "Hey, way of nature."

"Well...I mean, I don't personally believe in any form of violence," Bridgette said a little hesitantly, "I believe in the power of universal cosmic love. We're all made with love and have the ability to love, so I think we should always love one another, including animals. Also, if some animals, like dogs and cats, can love and get along with other people, then I think we should learn from their example and get along too."

"Huh. That's some deep insightful stuff there, Bridgette," Harold said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Bridgette says with a happy smile, "Harold, right?"

"Yep! Just to let you know, I like animals as well. Got a pet gerbil named Kirk in my room and my family owns a cat named Henry. Coolest part? Kirk and Henry are like best friends. Kirk likes to ride on Henry's back for fun at times."

"Really? Aww, that sounds so cute!" Bridgette cooed.

Harold chuckled. "Yeah, I always get a kick out of it."

"Hm. I have a little Shih Tzu named Percy back at home. He's very well behaved," Courtney advised. "I can quite agree with your take though, Bridgette."

"Ah, thanks," Bridgette rubbed the back of her head with a shy smile. "So you're a CIT, Courtney?"

"Indeed I am. I want to try to encourage the youth of today that they can do anything if they can put their mind to it, as well as solve their inner problems."

"Well, that sounds nice," Trent said with a smile.

"Thank you." she smiled. "I just hope I can succeed in doing my absolute best in this competition."

Heather scoffed as she sat down next to Geoff, "Well, tough luck, cause I am."

"Oh, hello _Heather_ ," Gwen says, frowning at her with a slight glare.

"Uh, are you trying to talk to me?" Heather says with a sneer.

"Yeah, she is. What, did you forget _how_?" Leshawna snarked.

"Don't test me, hood girl," Heather says with a glare.

"Uh...let's just try to eat our, um...food," Cody says as he looked at the soup with hesitation.

"Pfft, yeah... _food_ , _"_ Duncan says in sarcasm. "It looks like swamp water to me."

"Y'all ain't gonna leave until you finish the whole bowl!" Chef hollered out again.

They all glance at each other and back at their soup in dread.

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Noah says with a wince.

"Nope!" Chef declared, "My great-grandma made this back in her day! It's good for the body, soul, and and it cleanses your colon!"

"Okay, did we really need to know that last part?" Gwen says with disgust.

"Hey, you'll thank me if either of y'all are constipated!"

"I don't think that's appropriate to say when we're about to eat," Trent says uneasily.

" _When_? I don't care if it is good for your body and soul, I ain't letting my tongue near this stuff!" Leshawna stated.

"For once, I agree with hood girl," Heather says with a grimace.

"Fine. Then all of you won't win the competition because you all don't know good food even if something bit you in the butt!" Chef says with his arms crossed, looking a little peeved.

"Had to involve the butt again, did you?" Noah dryly says.

While they still looked at the soup in disgust, Izzy inspected it carefully. She picked up a spoon and scooped some of the broth up. She smelled it and put it close to her lips with a sip. Her eyes widened and then she smiled, "Hey, not bad!" She then grabbed the bowl and started to drink the soup savagely from it.

The rest of the contestants just looked at her in both shock and repulsion.

Ezekiel, curious, grabbed a spoon and scooped up some soup as well and tasted it. He raised his eyebrow. "...It really isn't bad, eh."

Everyone looked at each other skeptically. Some each decided to go for it, as they slightly tasted the soup...

"...It kind of has a good brothy taste to it," DJ threw his two cents in.

"It...kind of tastes like minestrone...I don't know if that's good or bad," Bridgette says as she blinked.

"Mmm!" Lindsay hummed in delight, "This may look icky, but it really tastes good! Wow! It's like inner beauty!"

"It's...not really bad," Cody says a little surprised.

"See?" Chef said as he felt proud, "Like my great grandma said, "A little good in your gut goes a long way down!"

"Okay, two things. One; your great-grandmother said that? Was she even alive back then? And two; you really like metaphors about the butt, do you?" Courtney asked him.

"Hey, she was really old. And she was the one who said this stuff, not me," Chef clarified.

Gwen took one cautious look at her bowl. Eyeing the contents of the soup, she picked up her spoon and scooped some of it up. Cringing at the sight of it, she was about to sip it...

 _ **...Gwen.**_

Startled, she dropped her spoon, making it splash into the bowl. The rest of the contestants turned to her, curiosity expressing in their eyes towards the goth girl at what made her react like that.

"Gwen? Are you okay?" Cody asked in worry.

"Yeah, what's up?" Leshawna asked as well, a little concerned.

"Uh..." Gwen shifted her eyes to the other contestants, some of them looking at her with worry, while some of them looked at her oddly.

 _ **Gwen.**_

"D-Did you hear that?" Gwen asked them in alarm.

The campers all looked next to each other, wondering what she meant by that.

"Hear what, Gwen?" Trent asked.

"Uh, I didn't hear anything," Geoff says in confusion.

Heather groaned, "What is it with you goth girls hearing stuff?"

Courtney put a hand on her chin. "Hmm...interesting."

Gwen looked at everyone to see if they were messing with her, but it looked like their puzzled faces were actually sincere.

"U-Uh..."

 _'That voice...it...it was definitely dad.'_

"Gwen? Is...everything alright?" Cody asked with a concerned frown.

"Hey, Gwen, right? You okay?" Chef asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Silent for a second, the goth girl answered, "Uh, y-yeah. I'm...I'm fine..." she put her hand on her forehead. "I'm...I'm sorry everyone, I...I need some air." she got up from her seat and began walking out the mess hall.

"Gwen?" Cody called out to her, but she kept going, her walk turning into a powerwalk state.

Everyone just looked at each other. Most of them shrugged and went back to eating, while some were wondering what happened.

"Wow...I hope she's okay," Bridgette says, a little worried.

"Me too," DJ says with a frown.

"Yeah, that was kind of weird," Harold says as he scratched his head.

"Hmm...she's certainly a peculiar one," Courtney stated.

"Tch, freak," Heather muttered.

"You shut your mouth, Little Miss Priss," Leshawna warned her with a glare.

"Yeah, come on, what's up with you?" Trent asked with a scowl.

"Pfft, whatever. All I know is that she's gonna weigh us down at the competition," Heather says as she ate her soup.

Cody glared at her, "Hey, the games haven't even started yet. We got an hour. And don't call Gwen names and say stuff about her like that."

Heather rolled her eyes. "I can say whatever I want, dork."

"Okay, enough with the arguing! Just get back to eating the soup!" Chef hollered out.

Heather 'hmphed' and went back to eating the concoction, while Cody looked back at the exit that Gwen went out of.

 _'I wonder what it was that Gwen heard?'_ he thought with a worried frown.

Meanwhile, Chef looked at the exit that Gwen went out of as well in curiosity.

 _'Hmm...that's strange...I need to ask Chris about that Gwen girl. Either she has a mental problem or...'_ his eyes widened as he remembered the island's past. _'...I have to keep my guard up. I don't trust Chris when it comes to these locations, and I just can't ignore what this island had endured. I really have a feeling that something fishy is goin' on here on this island...'_

Chef looked deep in thought...he then sipped a bit of his soup that he prepared in a bowl, thinking more about it.

* * *

 **There we have it! I hope this was a good chapter! Don't worry, the villain will make itself know in the next chapter...kind of. XP**

 **So yeah, I hope I did well with character interactions and whatnot! Also, big thanks to CMR Rosa for commissioning the cover for the story to qMargot on DA! :D**

 **So tell me what you all think of this chapter! Is it decent? Did I do a good job? Can't wait for the creature to appear? Please tell me! :D For now, review, follow, and fave! ;D**

 **Keep on rocking everybody! ^_^**

 **-TSP**


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